What to wear on a road trip

I will preface this post by noting that it features a much more casual vibe than you're used to seeing here. I obviously like to bring more low-key pieces into the mix on a regular basis, but I rarely tend to wear them all at once. But when you're on a road trip, comfort is truly key, and when you're choosing to stop in very outdoorsy locations like we did, function and practicality are essential. My general packing philosophy is that (almost) everything you bring can ideally be worn together, so you have multiple outfit options out of fewer pieces (more on this here)—you'll see several items repeated throughout this post. We didn't capture every outfit I wore (you'll see a few more in my travel diaries, coming soon), but here are some of my favorites from our California road trip last week. 

Hiking in Big Sur
Ok, so I am wearing a denim skirt on a hike; the hike was not very strenuous, to be honest, hence why I'm also wearing my Adidas sneakers, which are not the most flexible. The morning we did this particular hike to Partington Cove, it was rather foggy yet kind of warm, which is pretty typical for Big Sur in late June. I should also mention that after 7 years of living in San Francisco, where everyone carries a backpack, I finally succumbed and bought one. And you know what? It's pretty darn practical, especially when you're doing outdoorsy things. 




Along the coast
If you're driving along Route 1 in California, you have to stop at the Bixby Creek Bridge, which has always been iconic but is probably more famous than ever, having been featured in the opening sequence of Big Little Lies. It happened to be rather windy (hence my ponytail) this day, and we were driving from 60s and foggy to 90s and blazing-hot sun. Which brings me to another cardinal rule of travel packing: always bring layers. Here, I wore a chambray shirt as a light jacket, then ditched it once we drove inland. 




In Yosemite Valley
We were lucky enough to score a weekly pass to Yosemite (they are being severely limited at the moment), and neither Sean nor I had never been there before. We spent the first day exploring the valley, and while none of the hikes we did were strenuous, I found shorts to be the most comfortable thing to wear. This is an ancient pair of Seven jeans that I cut off into shorts; the rise is comically low (remind me why we were so enamored with low-rise jeans again?) but they're almost 20 years old and ridiculously comfortable otherwise. I also found that wearing a hat was a good idea for both sun protection (the valley is still at a 4,000 foot elevation) and eye-shading in lieu of sunglasses. 



OUTFIT DETAILS: Madewell whisper tee | 7 for All Mankind denim shorts (similar here) | Madewell belt bag (current version here) | Ganni hat (similar here) | Nike Revolution sneakers | Herschel Supply Co. backpack 

Hiking in Yosemite
On our second day in Yosemite, we ended up doing a bit more hiking than we had bargained for, hence the streaks of mud along my legs in these photos. I was happy, however, that I wore these comfy shorts, which are from a very early Alexander Wang collection (making them around 10 years old!). The higher in elevation we went, the cooler it got, so I actually had to throw on this sweatshirt to keep warm. Again, always bring layers. That bulge in my pocket is my mask, by the way, which I took off only to take these photos! 



OUTFIT DETAILS: Athleta sweatshirt (current version here) | Alexander Wang shorts (current version here) | Herschel Supply Co. backpack | Adidas Superstar sneakers 

At a backyard BBQ
This was one of my favorite outfits of the trip, probably because it feels the most "me," or most like my normal outfit content. I'm wearing the chambray shirt again on its own (it was finally cool enough to do so at 7pm!) with the one pretty skirt I brought on this trip, and my Birkenstocks. Fun fact: I only bought three pairs of shoes on this trip, which I think was a record for me! 



6 comments

windowtothebeauty said...

You look wonderful: ** Ohh I miss trips and travels :( I hope that this whole pandemic will end soon :) Regards:***

Nancy 's Fashion Style said...

What a great trip! Especially the food,lol!

Mica said...

It's great you were able to travel and explore a little - and you had some very cute outfits while you did so! I really like the black skirt outfit, and the chambray skirt outfit at the end! :)

Hope your week is going well :) It's turned into a rainy one here!

Away From Blue

Shelbee on the Edge said...

I love that you incorporated skirts into your casual road trip clothes! I do love skirts and sneakers together. All of your outfits are so cute. And it really looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.

Shelbee
www.shelbeeontheedge.com

mummabstylish said...

Just perfect! Looks like a fantastic venue. Jacqui x

Deasy said...

Love all of these outfits, and probably in love with the bbq outfit the most <3 Glad you scored that week pass to Yosemite!

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